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Arriva delivers £4.5m jewel to Teesside and East Cleveland

Arriva North East was excited to announce the launch of Sapphire on services 5/5A and X3/X4, two new premium bus services which go into service in September between Teesside and Redcar and Cleveland.

The special display of the buses was officially unveiled in Middlesbrough by Royal Lookalikes Kate Middleton and Prince Harry, who made sure guests and passers-by enjoyed a 'right royal welcome' as the buses were displayed to the public.

The Sapphire buses are a new concept from Arriva offering customers a first-class journey experience. A total of 24 brand new buses will be introduced to these services, providing an investment of over £4.5m. All vehicles are equipped with free WiFi, power points to charge phones and laptops, audio-visual annunciation and extra-comfy e-leather seating for customers.

At the event employees were also on hand to talk about the additional benefits the buses offer and to introduce the dedicated Sapphire bus drivers to both customers and guests.

Nick Knox, area managing director for Arriva North East said: "We're delighted to be bringing the Sapphire brand to the area; we're so excited to be announcing this investment. The bus service will offer customers a new and improved experience, we're confident that they will be delighted with the enhancements and we hope to encourage more people to join us on board. They really do add a bit of sparkle to people's every day journey!"

Service 5/5A operates up to every 15 minutes during Monday to Saturday daytimes and hourly on evenings and Sundays. Buses on this route provide fast, frequent and direct links for residents of East Cleveland to Guisborough, Nunthorpe and Middlesbrough, whilst taking in the great scenery our region has to offer.

The X3/X4 also operates up to every 15 minutes during Monday to Saturday daytimes and hourly on Sunday daytimes. These services provide alternative fast and frequent links for residents of East Cleveland to Saltburn, Redcar and Middlesbrough, with plenty of local attractions and places to visit en route.

Connections between services are available at Middlesbrough, Skelton, Brotton and Loftus, to allow passengers to explore further down the North Yorkshire coast.

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From Thursday 16 August 2018, Arriva North East, Arriva Yorkshire and Arriva North West Student Saver tickets and Arriva North West Saver tickets from our new online smartcard store. Other smartcard tickets and tickets fulfilled through other channels will continue to be available from the existing online shop for the time being.